Floating dock



March 11 1924.

M. MULLER FLOATING DOCK Filed March 3O 1922 tis Patented Mar. ll, i924.

MAX IEIILLER, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

FLOATING DOCK.

Application filed March 30, 1922.

all VII/7&0? it may concern: Be it known that I, Minions, a citizen of Hamburg, Germany, residing at Hamburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floating Docks, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to improvements in floating docks and relates more particularly to a dock structure, essentially comprising two side pontoons and a middle pontoon in rigid connection, and the middle pontoon of less draft than that of the side pontoons. The middle pontoon is preferably in open communication with the side pontoons and is automatically filled from, or emptied into, the side pontoons, as the case may be. The several pontoons may be suitably bulkheaded in longitudinal and transverse directions, in which case the mid dole pontoon compartments thus obtained, to the right of the longitudinal median bulkhead, will communicate with the respective right-hand side pontoon compartments, and those to the left of the median bulkhead communicate with the respective left-hand side pontoon compartments, an arrangement which makes for readily controllable trimming of the dock.

My invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Flg. 1 1s a plan, and

Fig. 2 a cross-section on line AA of Fig. 1 of a. dock of my lmproved design.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

The central or middle pontoon k is subdivided by the longitudinal bulkheads a Z) a into the compartments 0 f flanked by the side pontoons d and g. The cross-bulkheads h and 2' serve to ensure the stability of the floating dock in longitudinal direction. The line 13-13 (Fig. 2) indicates the inclined position the dock will take when the compartments 0} and 6 only are flooded or filled up with water. The central bulk-head Z) is watertight throughout, whilst the lateral or outer bulk-heads a and 0 have water communicating openings (1, and respectively.

The above described constructional form of the floating dock shows the following advantages.

When the dock is entirely freed from water and not loaded or weighted the receding lower or bottom wall of the compart- Serial No. 548,232.

ments 6 and f is some distance above the water level wherefrom it results that the resistance against moving the dock through the water is considerably reduced. In this elevated position a raft may be floated under the middle pontoon in order to inspect and overhaul its bottom wall or to execute any other work of maintenance or restoring. The bottom wall of any of the side pontoons (Z and g, for example that of the side pontoon 9, may be brought out of the water, as indicated by the line BB, by suitably trimming the dock by means of water-ballast let in at the opposite side only. By this way also the side pontoons may be easily overhauled, repaired or repainted. Any contrivances for self-docking are therefore superfluous. From this results the further advantage that the strength of the dock in tl e longitudinal direction will be very great, as the web of the dock is not anywhere interrupted.

The compartments 0 and f need no valves or like controlling devices, pumping out the water from the dock, the water contained in the said compartments will run out or discharge automatically through the commuuicating openings in the outer bulk-heads (I and 0.

Owing to the fact that the whole bottom is constructed to extend from side to side throughout the full breadth of the dock, a structure is obtained which is highly rigid also in the transverse or cross-direction.

The buoyancy of the compartments c and 7 takes up a part of the weight of the vessel and relieves thereby the cross-beams in contradistinction to well known docks having non-buoying parts in the middle portion.

I claim:

1. In a floating dock of the character set forth, ide pontoons and an intermediate pontoon, the latter in rigid communicating connection with said side pontoons and its bottom face extending in a plane substantially higher than that of the alined bottom faces of said side pontoons.

2. In a floating dock of the character set forth, two side pontoons including upstanding walls, and a middle pontoon, the latter rigidly communicatingly connected with said side pontoons and of substantially reduced vertical cross-section relative to that of said side pontoons, the deck of said middle pontoon extending in alined continuation of the respective side pontoon decks and its bottom plane raised above that of the bottoms of said side pontoons.

3. In a floating dock of the character set forth, a cellular pontoon structure comprising tWo side compartments and intermediate con'ipartments rigidly and communicatingly connected with the respectively eontiguous side compartments, the upper faces of said compartments all alined to form a continuous deck and the bottom face of said intermediate compartments extending at a relatively higher eve]. than the alined bottom faces of said side compartments.

4. In a floating dock of the character set forth, a cellular pontoon structure, comprising cross-subdivided side compartments including upstanding Walls, and a correspondingly crosssubdivided intermediate com- 'rartment a centrally extending continuous longitudinal bulkhead in said intermediate compartment, and longitudinal ported bulkheads between said intermediate compartment and said side con'lpartments, the tops of said compartments all extending in the same horizontal plane to form a continuous deck, and the bottom of .said intermediate compartment extending at a substantially higher relative level than the bottoms of said side compartm nts.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MAX MULLER, 14. s] 

